Sakarya University Civil Engineering Department faculty members Prof.Dr. Erkan Çelebi, Dr. Lecturer Zeki Özcan, Dr. Lecturer Necati Mert, Dr. Lecturer Zeynep Yaman, Prof.Dr. Kemallettin Yılmaz and Assoc. Ertan Bol conducted investigations on earthquakes in Elazığ and Malatya on January 24, 2020, in Elazığ province, Mustafapaşa, Sürsürü and Abdullahpaşa, and reinforced concrete and masonry structures in Sivrice, the epicenter of the earthquake. Structural damages frequently observed in the buildings examined are presented below:
The cooperative blocks examined in the Abdullahpaşa District were built as basement +5 floors. It is arranged as twin blocks separated from each other by dilatation joint. The cooperative blocks examined reflect the building stock in the region in terms of architecture and building materials used. Blocks are constructed with reinforced concrete column-beam-flooring system and partition walls with horizontal perforated bricks. Bending cracks are commonly observed in reinforced concrete beams. Excessive gaps in the carrier elements, especially plaster-free, in the basement show that concrete placement and maintenance is done without any care. It is widely observed that the partition walls constructed with horizontal perforated bricks have 45 degrees of angle, structural damage increases, unstructured wall damages reach advanced levels and partial demolitions as a result of closed overhangs applied to reinforced concrete structures and the eccentric connection of the beams to the columns. It has been evaluated as the reason for the widespread cutting cracks seen in the brick partition walls in reinforced concrete structures due to the excessive displacement of the reinforced concrete elements depending on their size and material quality. The fact that most of the reinforced concrete buildings were built with stone walls and basement with reinforced concrete perimeter contributed positively to the earthquake behavior of the building. The resulting sliding cracks and wall damages that partially migrated out of the wall plane and partially migrated were intensely observed.
It has been determined that coarse aggregate stream pebbles, which are used in reinforced concrete elements, which are not suitable for the preparation of the concrete, are used, problems are observed in the placement of the concrete, accordingly, adherence cannot be achieved and corrosion reaches advanced levels.
Weaknesses are also noticeable in reinforcements. It has been observed that the stirrup spacing is arranged as 25-30 cm, the stirrup hooks are made at 90 degrees and the stirrups that do not completely wrap the longitudinal reinforcement are used.
It has been widely observed that reinforced concrete columns and beams are destroyed by electrical, water and heating installers in order to place installations.
It has been observed that 3-4-storey structures built in masonry style with filled blend brick have been less damaged than reinforced concrete structures and successfully survived the earthquake. The construction technique and quality of workmanship in masonry structures of 50-60 years are remarkable.
The biggest fortune of this region is that it did not encounter the "design earthquake" which the "earthquake regulation" predicted. However, such a damage and destruction would not have occurred in this region, with a jolt of half the acceleration of the earthquake predicted by the design earthquake.
In parallel with the developments in science and technology, the increase in the material quality, the improvement of the earthquake regulation and the oversight of the inspection have resulted in the buildings being safer. On the other hand, the damage levels that may occur in an earthquake of this magnitude in new buildings should never be recognized as unacceptable.
